


The Interview

by Rocky2e



Category: House of Cards (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:22:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7750384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rocky2e/pseuds/Rocky2e
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claire sits down for an interview and reveals more about her marriage to Frank than she could have ever imagined. Based on a season 2 episode, but breaks off from there. Minor spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Claire Underwood readjusts her navy form-fitting Alexander McQueen dress for the millionth time. She does not get nervous, the emotion is not in her repertoire. However, she cannot help but sense this uneasy feeling that is settling in her stomach. Ashleigh Banfield from CNN is about to conduct a live interview of her and her husband, Vice President Frank Underwood. Her finger twitches and some naïve intern glances in her direction, only to immediately jerk their head away when Claire glares at them. No part of her wants to do this interview, she enjoys the privacy despite her husband’s occupation. This interview will only give the public permission to pry into her life, but she agreed to it because it will hopefully bring good press to Frank.  
Suddenly, her phone springs to life, vibrating against the polished oak nightstand. Claire maneuvers around the bed in order to scoop up her iPhone, smiling when she sees who is calling her.   
“Hi, are you almost here? They are setting up downstairs,” Claire says to her husband. A frown cuts across her lips when she hears a disconcerting sigh on the other end.   
“There is an emergency at the Capitol, an intern opened an envelope laced with some substance. We have been quarantined.”   
“Oh,” Claire is not worried, her and Frank have been through situations like this before. Someone probably sent in some flour to spook the White House. Plus, now that Frank won’t be here, the interview is no longer necessary since it won’t feature the both of them. In a weird way, this has been a silver lining for Claire.   
“You should still do the interview,” Frank tells her, reading her current thought.   
“Are you sure Francis? You won’t be there. It won’t have nearly the same effect.”  
“I don’t want to cancel so soon, it might look bad in the press.”   
“Okay, I’ll run it by Connor and see what he thinks.” Claire wants to argue with Frank, but what he is saying makes sense. It would not benefit them politically to cancel a live interview last minute, even if the public is captivated by the scare at the Capitol.   
“Thank you, I’ll let you know when I have an update.”   
Claire hangs up the phone and slips on her stilettos, carefully walking downstairs, through the throngs of people setting up for an interview that might not happen. She locates Connor speaking to one of Ashleigh’s many assistants. Claire waits patiently as they wrap their conversation up so she can speak with Connor privately.  
“Connor, Francis is not coming, I think we should cancel the interview.” This does not come as a surprise to Connor given that he has heard, along with the rest of the country, about what is happening at the Capitol.   
“With respect Mrs. Underwood, I think that would be a mistake. We should still do the interview even without your husband.” Claire gives a curt nod and leaves Connor, dialing Frank again to relay her final decision.   
“So what did you decide?” Frank asks, stepping away from his conversation with Donald Blythe to talk to Claire.  
“Connor agrees, but I’m still hesitant about this Francis.”   
“I am sure you will do great. Donald and I will be cheering you on.”   
It is clear to Claire that she would be disappointing a lot of people if she pulls out of the interview, so she reluctantly agrees. She was hoping that Frank would be there so he could field the majority of the questions posed to them. Her original plan was only to speak when a direct question was asked of her, but that has changed.   
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later.”  
Claire hangs up the phone and is immediately cornered by a make-up artist waving a brush towards her face. She obliges and motions over to Connor to join her.   
“We are doing the interview, tell Ashleigh that I will be ready in a few minutes.”   
Connor goes off to relay the message while Claire takes a final look in the mirror. Her makeup isn’t smudged, every blonde hair is perfectly styled into place. She is ready for battle. An intern escorts Claire to her seat, a chair positioned just-so in the living room. Ashleigh is already seated on the couch across from Claire, gathering her materials for the interview. They exchange polite smiles and wait in silence for the cameraman’s signal.  
Once the cameraman gives the go-ahead, Ashleigh sits up a little higher in her seat and Claire twines her fingers together to rest on her lap.  
“I am sitting down with Claire Underwood, wife of Vice President Frank Underwood. Unfortunately, the vice president couldn’t be here due to the emergency at the Capitol, but he is in our thoughts. Claire, can you comment on that?”  
“Yes, I just spoke to my husband. He is in good spirits and he apologizes for not being able to be here today.”  
Back at the White House, Frank pours himself a drink and turns the volume up on the TV. A smile chases across his lips when Claire appears on the screen. Out of the corner of his eye, Frank sees Donald sit down as well, intrigued by the interview playing out before them.  
Ashleigh peppers Claire with questions about her childhood, her time at school and how she met Frank. Claire seems relaxed and in control, willing to let her guard down to answer some basic questions about herself. It’s when Ashleigh starts to shift her questions towards children is when Claire starts to lose her upper-hand. Her and Frank have discussed potential answers for this topic, but now that he is not here, Claire is unsure of how she should proceed.   
“Can we talk about children?” Ashleigh asks Claire. Claire nods and reminds herself to keep the smile on her face. It might turn some people off if she tenses up at the word.   
“Sure, of course.”   
“You and your husband have a daughter, but nobody has really seen her nor have the two of you ever spoken about her publicly. In fact, we don’t even know her name. Why is that?”  
Frank leans forward, hanging on every word. He and Claire suspected that Ashleigh was going to bring up their daughter, which is a highly guarded subject for them. Nevertheless, Frank softens when a bright, authentic smile stretches across Claire’s lips. He can see Donald Blythe staring at him in shock and he presses the rim of the glass to his lips to conceal a grin.   
“Francis and I agreed that we would protect our daughter from the press. We believe strongly in the divide between public and private lives. Just because my husband is vice president does not mean that we have to forego our right to privacy.”  
Claire hopes that answer will be enough to satisfy Ashleigh and convince her to move onto another topic. It’s not that Claire does not want to talk about her daughter, she just wants to protect her as much as possible. Talking about her goes against that exact principle. However, Claire can tell that Ashleigh wants to be the one to break this story so she can expect more follow-up questions. Claire will take a cue from her husband and selectively tell the truth, wanting to preserve as much of her daughter’s privacy as possible.   
“What do you want to tell me about your daughter?” Ashleigh asks, knowing that if she wants the information, they are going to have to do this Claire’s way.   
There is a slight pause as Claire assembles her thoughts. This is the exact thing she wanted to avoid. By not having Frank here, she has to make decisions for them by herself, which is something that she does not feel comfortable doing. Picking and choosing what to reveal seems to be her best strategy at this point.   
Frank snatches up his half-filled bourbon from the coffee table. He feels horrible that he is not there to provide support to Claire and deflect such questions. Whatever Claire decides to tell Ashleigh, Frank will agree to. He trusts his wife knows where to draw the line in regards to their daughter.   
Donald attempts to make eye contact with Frank, but he is not playing. This is why he did not want anyone to know that he has a daughter, people will look at him the same way Donald is looking at him now. Frank will not be regarded as soft just because he has a child.   
“Our daughter just turned two, her name is Emily Claire.” Claire says after a moment of silence.   
“Does your daughter look more like you or your husband?” Ashleigh asks. Claire shrugs,   
“I don’t know. Me, I guess. She has my eyes, but she looks like Francis a little too.”   
“Why did you wait so long to have a child?”   
Claire swallows and readjusts slightly in her chair. She does not have a family friendly answer for that question. The truth, which Claire can’t say, is that her and Frank never planned on having children in the first place. When she became pregnant, they considered aborting the baby, but ultimately decided against it. She can’t admit that though. Claire has to go with an answer that is easier for the American public to swallow.  
“Well, Francis and I wanted to make sure that we were done campaigning. And then he wanted to get established in Congress and my former company, the Clean Water Initiative, was expanding. We were both too busy to have children, until we weren’t.”  
Ashleigh rests her fist under her chin and Claire instantly starts internally dissecting her answer, wondering if she could have possibly slipped up.   
“So, you are saying to all the women out there that you think your career should be put before your family?” Ashleigh asks, just to antagonize Claire. She would not be doing her job if she didn’t ask the tough questions, hopefully Claire understands that.   
Frank watches Claire tilt her head and narrow her eyes a little. He has seen that look many times before, a calculated answer from Claire is sure to follow. Frank glances over at Donald who is intensely focused on the TV, waiting with baited breath for Claire’s retort to Ashleigh’s question.   
“No, I would say that my husband and I chose to wait to have a child until we both thought we were ready to have one. We wanted to provide our child with as much stability as possible and that didn’t come until later in life for us. Every family is different. I don’t think it’s wrong to fault a woman for wanting to be successful professionally before deciding to have a family.”  
“How do you think being a mom has changed you?” Ashleigh asks, dropping her previous line of questioning. It’s clear to her that she was not going to win against Claire, who seems to have a well-thought out answer for everything asked.   
“I don’t think it has. I’m still the same person I was before I had my daughter.”  
“Some people think that you decided to have a child because your husband’s reelection campaign wasn’t going well.”   
Claire audibly scoffs and reminds herself not to laugh in Ashleigh’s face, she does not want to appear callous.   
“I don’t think those claims are warranted. My pregnancy had nothing to do with the timing of my husband’s campaign. Our daughter was not a political ploy of any sort and for anyone to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.”  
“You do have to admit the timing of your pregnancy worked in your favor.” Ashleigh is pushing Claire to see if she is able to garner information from the notoriously private Second Lady. Claire has proved to be a worth adversary, but Ashleigh has over twenty years of interview experience, she will get her talking eventually.   
Claire is about to pull the plug on this interview. She has indulged Ashleigh long enough. However, if she backs out now it will look like she is trying to hide something or that Ashleigh could be right about her pregnancy, which she isn’t.   
“Can we take a quick break? I have to check on my family.”


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Hi, welcome back! I know I haven’t posted in a while, sorry. I’m back, so enjoy the latest chapter.  
Claire needs time to regroup and to speak to Frank about this interview. She is not sure how far into their personal life she should go.   
“Of course. We will be right back with Claire Underwood, stay tuned.”   
Ashleigh and Claire get the go-ahead signal from the cameraman that they are off the air. Claire rockets out of her seat, immediately reaching for her cell phone to dial her husband. Frank picks up on the first ring.  
“You are doing fine,” Frank assures her.   
Claire strolls through the townhouse, searching for a private place to chat with her husband. She walks outside and shuts the door behind her, ignoring everyone that is waiting for her cue.   
“I don’t know what to tell her, Francis. We agreed to this interview because she wasn’t going to talk about Emily and now that’s all she wants to discuss.”  
“Look, Claire, if you want to talk about our daughter, you can. I would rather people heard it from us than anyone else. We can protect her, as we always have done in the past.”  
“Okay, how are things on your end?”  
“We won’t know for probably another hour.”   
“Oh, I have to go.”   
Claire hangs up the phone without as much as a goodbye from Frank. She values his input, but she is annoyed that he is leaving her to shoulder the responsibility. This interview could easily backfire on them if she is not careful.  
An intern comes outside to fetch Claire, telling her that they have thirty seconds before she is back on the air. Claire follows, brushing past Connor who looks appropriately frightened. He was supposed to be micromanaging this interview so there would be no weak spots, but that has fallen through. Claire is left by herself to do damage control, not even Frank can help her now.  
“And we are back with Claire Underwood. Claire, before we went to break, I mentioned to you that your pregnancy coincided rather nicely with your husband’s campaign. Would you care to comment on that?” Ashleigh asks, wasting no time getting back to grilling Claire.   
A smile stretches across Claire’s lips as an idea pops into her head. She has a strategy that will win the public over while digging herself out of a hole. It is not necessarily the truth, but Claire understands the nature of politics.   
“The truth is Ashleigh, is that my husband and I weren’t planning on having children at all, regardless of Francis’ political aspirations.”  
“Why is that?”   
“Well, I didn’t think I could have any. I suffered two miscarriages before getting pregnant with our daughter.”  
Frank leans forward in his chair and reminds himself to look somber for Donald’s sake. He recognizes what Claire is doing, which is exactly what he wanted her to do. She is appealing to the women vote. Ashleigh is eating this up, Frank thinks to himself.  
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”   
Claire nods solemnly, pretending to be deeply upset by something that never happened. What she is doing isn’t right by any stretch of the imagination, but it is necessary to protect her husband’s career. If she admitted that she considered aborting her child on national television, it would bring negative attention to Frank, Claire and the entire Walker administration.   
“Thank you, it was a difficult time for us, but we got through it. And now, we have our daughter, so, I guess it all worked out in the end.”   
“How did you and your husband react when you found out you were pregnant this time around?”   
“Oh, Francis is going to kill me for telling this story, I might ruin his reputation at the Capitol.” Claire says, letting out a fake laugh for extra effect. She can tell that Ashleigh is buying everything she is saying, which is nice. Claire has to be careful not to appear too transparent, this could easily come back to bite her in the ass.   
She launches into a completely embellished story of how she told her husband that they were expecting. Claire remembers that moment and it vastly contrasts what she is telling Ashleigh now. There wasn’t any hugging or kissing like she says in her interview, but rather, a serious conversation about weighing their options.

Three years ago, Claire quietly shuts the door behind her to their townhouse. A part of her is hoping that Frank is not around, she does not have the energy to have the conversation they need to have tonight. Although, she knows that she will tell Frank as soon as she sees him. It’s not in her nature to keep something from him, especially when it’s this important.   
“Hey,” Frank says as he takes the cigarette out of his mouth. He is in his usual spot by the windowsill, presumably waiting for her to join him.   
“Hey,” Claire says and navigates over to where he is sitting. Frank hands her the cigarette, but she declines. She is building up the courage to say what she needs to, even if he takes it badly. “Francis, we need to talk.”   
Frank immediately puts the cigarette out when he picks up on the severity of her tone. Claire sounds frightened and uncertain, two things that he rarely hears in her.   
“Okay, what’s going on?”   
“I’m pregnant.”  
A silence washes over the couple, each trapped in their own thoughts. Claire is wondering which emotion Frank will reach for first, while he is wondering how this could have happened. They have been extremely careful, with him always using a condom and her being on the pill.   
Claire is not upset over Frank’s lack of enthusiasm, she expected it. He has said time and time again that he does not want a child, so she is expecting him to ask for an abortion.   
“Is it mine?” Frank asks finally, meeting her eyes for the first time since she announced that she is expecting.   
“Yes, I haven’t seen Adam in over six months.”   
Any other woman would have been offended by his question, but not Claire. They both have had lovers in the past besides each other, it’s what makes their marriage so unconventional and successful. They trust one another enough to allow them to sleep with other people. Claire usually chooses Adam while Frank has had an assortment of young girls that serve only to satisfy his sexual needs and simultaneously help advance his political career.  
“What do you want to do?” Frank asks after several moments of silence. He does not need to reiterate how much he does not want a child, Claire is aware. However, he thinks it is wrong to outright ask for her to get an abortion, it should be a decision that they make together. Claire is levelheaded enough to weigh the positives and negatives of having a child.  
“I don’t know, I think I want to sleep on it.” Claire admits. She has warmed up to the possibility of having a baby, but will do whatever they decide. Frank nods, thinking that is fair.   
“You are okay, though, right? Nothing is wrong…” Frank trails off, making a half-hearted gesture towards her stomach. Claire gives a light smile over his concern for her.  
“I’m fine Francis, just tired. I’m going to head upstairs, I’ll see you in bed soon?” Claire asks, guessing that he wants some time alone to digest before going to sleep. Frank wordlessly nods and Claire pats his hand before standing up and walking upstairs to their bedroom. 

“Mrs. Underwood?” Ashleigh asks after noticing the faraway look in the Second Lady’s eyes. Claire jolts to attention, realizing that she is daydreaming on live television.   
“Sorry, I was reminiscing,” Claire says with a kind smile. Ashleigh returns it and shuffles her papers around.  
“I was asking if you had any complications with your pregnancy, given your past miscarriages.”   
Claire nods, a grin pulling at her lips.   
“Yes…actually…this is kind of embarrassing, but I fainted in front of the president.” Claire looks down and swishes her bangs out of her eyes while Ashleigh laughs.   
“Care to share that story with us?”   
“Sure. We were invited to have tea with the president and first lady…”

After several long conversations over cigarettes, Claire and Frank decide to keep their baby. It took some convincing on Claire’s part, but Frank was able to see the benefits of having a child. Now, Claire is almost in her third month and suffering from morning sickness.   
“Claire,” Frank calls out as he knocks on their bathroom door. He has heard Claire throw up several times in the past few months, but she has never allowed him to assist her.  
“I’ll be ready in a minute Francis,” Claire says, as she always does when he knocks on the door. Frank concedes and heads downstairs to grab some breakfast for the both of them. True to her word, Claire emerges downstairs, wiping all evidence of vomiting off her face.   
“Do you want some?” Frank asks, offering an apple slice.  
“No thanks, I’m not hungry.” Claire says and maneuvers around him to open the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water.   
“We should probably go, the president is expecting us in an hour.” Frank reminds her, taking in her pale complexion. He knows better than to suggest that she should stay home and rest. She will only insist that morning sickness has no effect on her.   
“Okay, I’ll be in the car.” Claire slips on her ebony peep-toe pumps and throws on her camel coat. Frank lags behind, going back upstairs to fetch his briefcase.  
Outside, Meechum is waiting to open the door for Claire. She hesitates, feeling an overwhelming wave of nausea crash into her. Claire twists away from the car to vomit into the bushes. Meechum waits until the dry heaves stop to approach Claire.  
“Should I get the congressman mam?” Meechum asks softly. Claire wipes her lips with the back of her hand as she shakes her head.   
“No, he will be out in a second. I’m fine, thank you.” Claire mutters as he helps her into the car.   
Frank comes out a moment later and climbs into the car next to Claire. Her complexion is a pale hue. He is concerned about her, but he realizes that the last thing Claire wants is to be coddled. There is nothing to do for her morning sickness except to wait until it stops.   
When they arrive at the White House, Frank waits until Claire exits the car to grab her hand. He squeezes her hand, silently asking if she is okay. She squeezes back, reassuring him that she is fine. Nauseous, but fine.   
“Mr. President, thank you for taking time out of your schedule,” Frank says as he and Claire walk into the Oval Office. The first lady and Claire exchange hugs. The president, and Frank brush kisses to the other wife’s cheek.   
As the meeting progresses, Claire can feel the nausea rising. She is trying to be inconspicuous so she doesn’t raise suspicion. Claire does not want anyone to know that she is pregnant yet, but it is getting harder and harder to hide.   
Frank glances at Claire who is trying her hardest to keep conversation with the first lady. He can tell that she does not feel well, but doesn’t want to draw attention to herself.   
Claire catches her husband staring at her, analyzing every move. She offers a brief half-smile and returns her full attention back to the first lady. Claire swallows deeply, hoping that she can prevent herself from puking for the next couple hours.   
“Claire, are you okay? You look a little pale,” the first lady comments. Frank and the president are too wrapped in their conversation about the midterm elections to hear the question. Claire’s eyes dart over to Frank, begging him to intercede on her behalf.  
“Yes, excuse me,” Claire stands up abruptly and fumbles towards the door. Before she is able to open it, she collapses to the floor. The first lady sees Claire fall and gasps, capturing Frank and the president’s attention.   
“Claire!” Frank exclaims and rushes over to her, the first lady and president on his heels.   
“Call the doctor,” the president orders his wife, who hurries back to the desk to reach the phone. Frank skims his thumb over the arc of Claire’s cheek, trying to get a reaction from her, but her eyes remain closed.   
A few seconds later, Claire’s eyes flutter open, surprised to see Frank, the president and the first lady hovering over her, concern marring their faces. Her cheeks flush and she averts everyone’s wide eyes. She sits up, but is met with Frank’s hand on her shoulder.  
“Easy,” Frank warns her quietly. Claire glares at him, not appreciating the babying on his part. A knock on the door interrupts Frank and Claire’s silent power struggle. The president answers it and lets the physician in. Claire puts a hand on her forehead, embarrassed beyond belief over what has just transpired.   
“Doctor, thank you for coming on such short notice,” the president says and walks him over to where Claire is sitting with Frank.   
“I appreciate it, but I don’t need a consultation, thank you,” Claire says.   
“Could you give us a minute?” Frank asks, knowing that the reason Claire is pushing the doctor away is because she does not want the president and first lady to know that she is pregnant.   
“Of course, take as much time as you need,” the president says and leaves with his wife.   
The doctor is confused as to whether he should stay or if he was already dismissed. He lingers, watching Frank help Claire into a prone position despite her reservations. Claire glances around, making sure that no one else is in the Oval Office besides them.   
“Do you want me to stay?” The doctor finally asks as he fumbles with his kit. Frank nods and Claire reluctantly agrees. “It would be easier to evaluate you if you were sitting on the couch. Do you mind?”   
Claire hoists herself up without warning and sways on her feet, falling back slightly. Frank wraps his arm around her waist and assists her in walking over to the couch.   
“Did she hit her head when she fell?” The doctor asks Frank.  
“No, she just sort of collapsed.”   
“Have you eaten anything yet today?” The physician asks Claire directly.  
“No, I threw up earlier, so I haven’t felt like eating much.”   
Frank wonders if Claire is going to divulge the reason as to why she is throwing up or it is just going to remain a secret. The doctor performs a series of neurologic function tests which Claire passes successfully. He advises that she attempts to eat something and takes it easy for the rest of the day.   
“Thank you doctor, I will get her home,” Franks says as he shows the doctor the door. Claire remains seated on the couch, a frown playing on her face. She hates more than anything to be told what to do, but she doesn’t want to do anything that could potentially harm their child. Frank shuts the door and sits next to her on the couch.   
“I’m going home,” Claire says simply and gathers her things. Frank nods, he is happy that he won’t have to fight his stubborn wife on this.   
“Do you want me to…?” Frank doesn’t even get to finish his sentence and Claire is already shaking her head. He figured that would be her response, but he wanted to ask. Frank has developed somewhat of a soft spot for Claire ever since they learned they are expecting. It’s not foot massages or late night runs to the grocery store, but it’s enough to make Claire happy.   
“No, you stay here. I will see you at home.” Frank touches her cheek with the pad of his thumb. Claire manages a small grin and moves around him. “Claire, have Meechum take you home.” He isn’t taking any chances with her safety. Claire could easily faint again and actually hurt herself this time. She nods curtly and turns around, making sure she is steady on her feet before she walks out of the Oval Office.

“Wow that was quite a story,” Ashleigh says.   
“Yes, it was.” Claire agrees and nervously looks around, wondering how much time they have left for this interview. She is worried about Frank and hoping that the reason the Capitol was evacuated is just because of a scare and nothing more serious. Answering question after question about her private life is getting old, but Claire is doing her best to remain patient. She doesn’t want their public image to be tattered because of her reluctance to be semi-open with the American people.   
Ashleigh is surprised that she is getting so much from the usually closed off second lady. She watched previous interviews with Claire and noticed that she always stood behind Frank and let him do all of the talking. Ashleigh still has to proceed with caution because Claire could easily pull the plug on this interview at any time. However, Ashleigh wants to bring up something controversial, which might rattle Claire.  
“During your pregnancy, there was an article that was published about your husband,” Ashleigh starts off, carefully scrutinizing Claire’s face for any emotions.   
“A lot of things are written about Francis, you are going to have to narrow that down a little bit,” Claire says. She is curious and a little suspicious, Ashleigh’s voice has taken on somewhat of an arrogant tone to it.   
“Of course, the article alleged that your husband was cheating on you while you were pregnant.” Ashleigh opens her folder and pulls out a copy of the article to show Claire.  
A/N 2: That’s all for now! Please let me know if you want more by leaving a review. Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: Hi, welcome back! Thank you for all the lovely reviews and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.  
Back at the Capitol, Frank rises to his feet, ignoring the pure shock on Donald’s face. He can tell by the carefully hidden expression on Claire’s face that she has no idea how to respond. The article is true, Frank was sleeping with a journalist during the last few months of Claire’s pregnancy. Claire knew about it and agreed to it, like she always has done in the past. As long as they openly discussed it, Claire had no problem with Frank stepping out.  
Frank gently closed the door to the townhouse behind him so he wouldn’t wake up Claire. He sneaks up the stairs, not turning on any lights, knowing the way to his bedroom in the dark. When he eases open the door to their bedroom, he is surprised to see Claire awake and reading something on her iPad.   
“Hey,” Claire says as she looks up from her device. Frank notices that his wife is upset about something by the heightened worry lines etched into her face. He climbs into bed next to her and rests his head on her shoulder.   
“Hi,” He watches Claire stretch across to put the iPad on her nightstand. He skims his hand over her slightly swollen stomach and raises his eyebrows, wondering if she is going to let him in on what is bothering her. “Are you going to tell me or am I just going to have to guess?”  
Claire snatches up the iPad and turns it on, showing him the article that she was just perusing. Frank takes it from her and sighs heavily. The headline blaring across the screen makes him uneasy. Although the article never names him personally, it is clear who it is alluding to.   
“Don’t worry, I will take care of this,” Frank promises Claire. This is his mess and he will do anything possible to make sure Claire doesn’t have to answer any questions regarding his affair.   
“I know…I just wish…” Claire trails off, knowing that if she says what she wants to, it might ignite an argument between the two of them.  
“What?”   
“I just wish that you would have been more careful.” Frank nods, thinking that she is right. He knows how risky it is to be sleeping with a journalist and was naïve enough to think that the media would never find out about it. Frank leans over to grab his cellphone, sending Doug a text to start doing damage control.  
“I’ll take care of it, you just worry about our child,” Frank assures her once again. Claire manages a half-smile and reaches over, capturing Frank’s hand. She doesn’t push the issue, she knows that her husband will handle the blowback appropriately so this will go away quietly and quickly.   
Claire will not admit to the affair on live television, she is smart enough to realize how damaging that could be. She needs to find a way to explain it without making it seem like she is condoning Frank’s behavior.   
Frank waits along with everyone watching for Claire’s response. He hopes that she speaks up soon because silence makes her seem guilty. Donald is looking at him, a hint of disgust is present in his features. Frank internally rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his scotch.  
“Can we take another break?” Claire asks, feeling utterly trapped. She doesn’t have a clever retort at her disposal currently.   
“I would appreciate you answering the question first,” Ashleigh says. The reporter can sense that she could be on the verge of a breaking story. Letting Claire take time to think of a lie will not be good.   
“Francis and I usually make a point not to indulge tabloid gossip. However, I will say for the record that my husband absolutely did not cheat on me. Can we please take a break?”  
Ashleigh’s eyes grow wide and silently nods. She has never seen such emotion coming from the second lady before. The reporter watches a frazzled Claire skyrocket out of her seat and brush past all of the interns, heading upstairs and slamming the door behind her.   
Claire paces in her bedroom. She was very close to revealing a huge secret about her marriage, one that could have caused a lot of controversy and unwanted press into their lives. A part of her can’t help but blame Frank for sleeping with the journalist to begin with, knowing that it would ultimately become public. Although, none of this would have happened if Ashleigh stuck to the talking points instead of veering off into uncharted territory.   
Frank owes Claire an apology, one that she will take with stride. He wishes that he could be there because it shouldn’t be her that has to deal with the fallout of his indiscretions. He is debating calling her, but she has to go back on the air momentarily so they will just have to discuss it later. Plus, Frank can almost guarantee that his call will be sent to voicemail whether Claire is available to talk or not.   
Connor knocks on the bedroom door, opening it just a peek to see if Claire is ready to come back downstairs. They should be wrapping up this interview pretty soon.   
“Mrs. Underwood, should I tell Ashleigh that you need a few more minutes?” Connor asks.   
“No, I’m fine,” Claire smooths down the non-existent wrinkle on her dress and bypasses Connor to walk downstairs. She is counting down the seconds until this interview is over. As soon as the interview concludes, Claire is collecting her daughter from the nanny and kicking everyone out.   
Claire is corralled by a makeup artist before she is able to get back to her chair. She flinches away from the brush and the makeup artist immediately backs off.   
Ashleigh is reading through her notes, trying to decide how many more topics she has to cover before they are off the air. The journalist realizes that the second lady is angry because she is having her private life displayed in front of the country. However, Ashleigh will not apologize for doing her job and gaining access like no other journalist before her. Claire knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to do the interview and she is aware that she can back out at any time.   
“We’re almost done,” Ashleigh whispers over to Claire once she sits down. The journalist is trying to gauge Claire’s emotions by her response. Claire paints on a fake smile and nods, sitting a little higher in her chair. For whatever reason, that makes Ashleigh’s palms sweat.  
The scarlet light of the camera blinks back on and Ashleigh pretends that she and Claire were just having a thrilling conversation.   
“Thank you for staying on for the latter half of my interview with the Second Lady Claire Underwood. Claire, thanks for sticking around.”   
“It’s my pleasure to be here Ashleigh.” Liar. Ashleigh thinks to herself, but still manages to maintain a professional demeanor.   
“Before the break we were talking about your husband’s alleged affair. You denied it, but I have a trusted source telling me that Vice President Underwood was not present for your daughter’s birth. What do you have to say to those reports?”  
Claire furrows her eyebrows, wondering where that story even came from or if Ashleigh is just making it up. Her husband is digging a deeper hole for them than she has realized.   
Frank sucks in a breath and waits for Claire to refute the claim, again. Although this time, what Ashleigh said is actually false, unlike the affair. He is trusting Claire to handle this like she did the last attack against them.  
“Well, my husband was in Gaffney when I went into labor, but I can assure you that he was there when our daughter was born.”  
“Why did your husband travel to Gaffney when you were so close to delivering?” Ashleigh asks, thinking that she will trick Claire into admitting that her marriage isn’t the fairytale that they are being led to believe it is. She has a feeling that Claire isn’t the kindhearted supermom that is being portrayed on camera and that something is deeply wrong with the Underwood’s marriage. Ashleigh feels like it’s her duty to expose who Frank and Claire really are to the American people.   
Claire is ready to simultaneously kill Ashleigh for prying so hard into her personal life and Francis, who is letting her take all the punches on his behalf.   
“He had to go back home to Gaffney for a political event.”   
“I’m sure he could’ve rescheduled. It’s not like his congressional seat in South Carolina is in jeopardy.”   
Claire clears her throat and stretches her lips into a thin line, attempting to keep her lips from collapsing all together. The truth is that Claire didn’t care if he went, he was not obligated to be waiting at home for her to deliver.   
“What I am saying is that I was not dependent on my husband to be there every second of my pregnancy. We knew that there was a slim chance that I could go into labor while he was gone and we had a plan in place in case that happened, which it did.”  
Claire is hoping that she isn’t coming off as too defensive. She never expected to reveal this much about her family, but she wasn’t going to be left looking stupid. Claire is curious as to how Ashleigh was able to obtain all this information when she and Frank made clear the topics that were open for discussion during this interview.  
“Explain to me and the people watching at home what happened because I am not convinced.”  
Ashleigh knows the repercussions of going off-script in a televised interview, and yet, she is willing to risk the punishment. She doesn’t necessarily like Claire, the second lady comes off as dispassionate and cold. Ashleigh wouldn’t be doing her job if she didn’t try her best to obtain genuine answers from her interview subjects.  
Claire is losing her patience and tired of feeling like she has to shield herself. She agreed to do this interview solo because she thought it would bring good press, but it’s now doing the opposite.   
“Well, when Francis left, he told me that if at any point I went into labor that he would fly back to Washington immediately.”  
“Why go at all then if he would have to cancel the events?”   
“Because…” Claire pauses for a second and suddenly has an idea. “We had a fight the night before he left and I wanted space. His trip to Gaffney for a couple of days seemed ideal at the time.”  
While Claire is spinning this lie on television, her mind flips back to the actual fight her and Frank had during her pregnancy.   
Frank closes the door to the townhouse behind him. He rushes up the stairs, taking them two at a time. His meeting at the Capitol ran late and now he has only a half an hour before he is scheduled to arrive at the charity gala. When he swings open the door to the master bedroom, he is shocked to see Claire standing in front of the mirror, deciding between two seemingly identical black dresses. One is sparkly and strapless, the other a more conservative gown. Frank furrows his eyebrows, he thought they agreed that she wouldn’t attend anymore events until she gives birth. Claire is entering her sixth month of pregnancy and her previous concave abdomen has protruded out to form a noticeable bump.  
“Hey, what are you doing?” Frank asks, hoping that he is just misreading the situation. He doesn’t have time to get into an argument with his stubborn wife.   
“I like this one better, what do you think?” Claire asks, ignoring his question as she turns to face him, holding the gown.   
“I agree. What’s going on?” Frank asks again, but more forcefully this time.  
“I laid out this suit for you, get dressed or we are going to be late for the gala.” Claire gestures toward the three-piece tuxedo sprawled out on their bed. Frank sighs and threads his fingers through the cerulean tie he is wearing, loosening it from around his neck.  
“I thought you weren’t going.”  
“I have to go Francis, the gala is honoring the CWI’s partnership with the African Children Coalition. If I don’t go with you, people are going to wonder why.” Frank registers the sharp edge in Claire’s voice and reminds himself to tread cautiously.  
“I understand that, but if you go then it will defeat the purpose of people not knowing that you are pregnant. You are starting to show Claire.” Frank is confused as to why they are even arguing about this. She was the one that wanted to keep her pregnancy a highly guarded secret and for her to have a sudden change of heart is confusing.   
Claire glares at him, not appreciating his approach. Yes, she was the one who decided to be more selective about the events she would be attending, but this gala is the exception. She thought her husband understood that.  
“I don’t have to ask for your blessing to attend an event, Francis.”   
Frank thinks Claire sees it as him telling her what she can and can’t do, which is not necessarily the case. He knows how defensive Claire is of their private life and if the wrong person were to discover that she was pregnant, it would bring unwanted attention on them. This is his way of protecting her.  
“If you go, it might become a story, Claire. About us.” Frank tells her, knowing that the only way to appeal to her is by reminding her what’s at stake. They barely dodged the affair allegations, they don’t need another reason to be in the headlines.   
Claire knows he is right, but she is too stubborn to admit it. They had an agreement that she made them adhere to and now she is unexpectedly changing the rules. As Frank climbs the political ladder, the more they are at risk for becoming fodder for the press. Claire has had difficulty adjusting to the idea that people actually want to know what’s going on in her life. Regardless, they have to come to a détente and quickly, so they can slip into the gala undetected.  
“We will go to this event and then after that, I won’t make an appearance until after the baby is born. It’s going to come out eventually Francis, but I think we should be the ones controlling the narrative. You owe me this.”  
Claire didn’t want to say it because that is not how their marriage works, but she is determined to go to the gala. She can tell that Frank has surrendered by a subtle shrug of the shoulders.  
“I’ll call the car.”   
“Thank you.” Claire grabs her dress and shuts the door to the bathroom.  
The next morning, after the gala, Claire meets Frank down in the kitchen for breakfast where he is already scanning headlines in the newspaper. He frowns and takes a long sip of his coffee. Claire comes up behind him to peek over his shoulder, wondering what he is staring at. Sure enough, an article about last night’s gala mentions “Congressman Frank Underwood and his pregnant wife Claire.” Claire’s eyes dance up to the byline, recognizing the name of the reporter who wrote the story.   
“She’s quite the writer,” Claire comments and navigates over to the other side of the counter. Frank can tell by her demeanor that Claire is upset over the article. He reaches across and puts his hand over hers.   
“Claire…”  
“It’s okay Francis, I know you will talk to her.”   
“Of course,” Frank gathers up his belongings and dusts a kiss to her cheek before leaving for the Capitol.   
Ashleigh’s eyebrow raises at Claire’s admission. She is surprised that the second lady is revealing this on camera. It seems so unlike Claire to air her dirty laundry on television, which has Ashleigh suspicious.   
Back at the Capitol, Frank suppresses a smile, realizing what his wife is doing. She is gaining sympathy for herself by making them seem more like a normal married couple. He hopes Claire notices that she has to play this carefully in order to make her lie convincing enough. Frank has no doubt that his wife will sell this story like the miscarriages and denial of the affair before this.   
“What was the fight about if you don’t mind my asking?”  
Ashleigh doesn’t give a damn what Claire and Frank were fighting about, she just wants to test her. If Claire denies to comment, then she appears untruthful. If Claire elaborates then she appears human.   
“It was one of those meaningless arguments that turned into something more. I think it started because he didn’t put the toilet seat down if I remember correctly.” Claire fake laugh as she scratches an imaginary itch on her cheek.  
“Why did it escalate?” Ashleigh ignores Claire’s laugh all together, thinking it’s just a deflection technique.   
Claire feels her face heat up, she didn’t account for a follow-up question. Okay Claire, you can do this. You have to remain untarnished in the eyes of the American public even if you have to take a bullet for Francis.   
“Because he wasn’t there.”   
“What do you mean by that?”  
“He was never home. And when he said he was going to Gaffney, I just…” Claire takes in a shuddering breath and internally scolds herself for becoming emotional on live television. “He is my husband and I wanted him there.”  
Something about the shift in Claire’s demeanor alarms Frank. Even though she is lying about the fight, the underlying cause is still there. He knows that what Claire is talking about has been an issue between them ever since she got pregnant with Emily. Frank is aware that Claire feels like she has to shoulder the majority of the parenting and she is right. He works long hours, especially now that he is vice president. Claire has stepped down from running the CWI and is working at the White House in order to be home more with Emily because he can’t be.   
“That’s understandable.”  
“Can we take a break?” Claire asks abruptly, feeling uncomfortable for allowing herself to appear so vulnerable in front of the millions of people watching this interview.   
“Of course. When we come back, we will wrap up with Second Lady Claire Underwood.”  
A/N 2: There’s still more to come! Your reviews helps shape this story, so please leave your thoughts on the way out. Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi, welcome back! Thanks for all the lovely comments you left me last time, hopefully this chapter lives up to your expectations. Enjoy!  
Once a commercial hits, Frank sets his drink down on the polished wood. For the first time in a while, Frank is unsure of whether he should contact Claire. They never avoid each other, something that Claire has to remind him of on occasion, but this feels different. What Claire revealed to Ashleigh hurts him. It’s no secret that their marriage isn’t perfect, no marriage is, but he has prided himself for so long on being able to keep his wife happy.  
Frank knows that Claire would never be the one to ask for help. Even if she is stretched to her limit, she always finds a way to prevent everything from collapsing. That’s what Frank loves about her, the willingness to do whatever is necessary to keep their family moving forward. From time to time, Claire has vocalized that her goals were being subservient to his and they have found a way to correct that.   
Back at the townhouse, Claire ducks into the first empty room she can find. She closes the door to Emily’s room behind her and presses a finger to her eyelid to keep the tears at bay.  
“Idiot,” She whispers to herself and sniffs loudly to conceal all traces of her tears. Claire glances around her daughter’s room, feeling a grin tug at her lips for the first time today. She designed this room herself, wanting it to be a sanctuary for her daughter to feel comfortable in. Frank stepped back and trusted her with all of décor, only putting in his input when he was asked.   
Claire walks over to the picture framed next to Emily’s crib. Both her and Frank aren’t big into photographs, but this one, a picture of the two of them taken after their daughter was born, is special to them. Claire is holding Emily and Frank is standing next to her, smiling down at the two of them. Frank has a similar one tucked into the drawer of his desk. She remembers everything about the day Emily was born, starting from the time Frank left for Gaffney the night before.  
“Are you sure you want me to go? I can cancel all of my events,” Frank tells her as he is zipping up his suitcase.  
Claire, who is nine months pregnant by this time, folds her arms across her chest as best she can. Her slate gray robe comes undone a bit, revealing her stretched stomach.   
“Francis, there is no point in staying here. I’ll be fine.”  
Claire has to admit, it is sort of interesting seeing him worry like this. It doesn’t bother her if he goes, just as long as he comes back if she goes into labor.  
“And if you’re not…”  
“And if I’m not, I will call you and you will be on a plane back here as soon as possible.” She finishes the sentence for him.   
Frank nods, completely convinced that she is encouraging him to go. In a way, it would look suspicious if he doesn’t go. The media has an inkling that Claire is expecting ever since she attended the gala, but since the Underwood’s’ haven’t confirmed it, it would only lead to more speculation if Frank unexpectedly canceled.   
“Fine, but Meechum stays here with you. I don’t want you going anywhere without him.”  
“Okay, go, before you miss your flight.”   
Frank matches Claire’s tiny grin and leans over to brush a kiss to her lips, resting a hand on her stomach for leverage. Claire watches him leave and climbs back into bed, ready to spend the next few days to herself before her husband gets back.   
The next morning, Claire goes to work as usual, surprising everyone since she was supposed to be on maternity leave for the past few months. She has threatened all of her workers with immediate termination if her pregnancy were to be leaked to the press. Unfortunately, the reporter Frank was sleeping with revealed it first, taking away their upper hand.   
Frank constantly checks his phone for any updates from Claire. Usually, when he is in South Carolina, she is either with him or they don’t talk much until he gets back. He has already handled questions regarding Claire’s absence, saying that she is swamped at work and couldn’t afford to miss work. The press has been trying to trick him into revealing her pregnancy, but Frank knows how to beat them at their own game.   
“Is everything alright sir? You have been checking your phone an awful lot,” a secret service agent asks Frank. Frank simply nods and tucks his phone back into his suit pocket. His secret service agent doesn’t need to know the real reason why he’s been attached to his blackberry.   
Back at the office, Claire feels a cramp ripple through her abdomen. She is caught off guard and suppresses a moan of pain.   
“Not now,” She waits for it to pass and scoots back in her chair, pretending like nothing happened. Claire decides to wrap up whatever she is working on and then go home. She was feeling a little discomfort last night before Frank left, but knew better than to say anything. She recognized that he would cancel his trip all together if her concerns were vocalized.   
Claire manages to get home without any more pain, but it flares up again when she is grabbing some fruit from the fridge. She doubles over and coils her fingers around the faucet to keep herself upright.   
“M’am is everything okay?” Meechum asks when he sees Claire’s current position. Claire is biting her lip so hard that words can’t come out. There is no doubt about it; she is in labor.  
“Yes. I have to call Francis,” Claire whispers after the pain leaves her body. Meechum hovers as Claire dials, knowing that he will ultimately be instructed to make sure she gets to the hospital safely.   
Frank is in the middle of a speech when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He knows who it is without having to look, but can’t covertly answer without disappointing his constituents. He has to wrap up this speech immediately without making it look too obvious.  
Claire gets Frank’s voicemail and doesn’t bother leaving a message. She knows that he will call her back as soon as he gets a chance. Claire rationalizes with herself, thinking that she might have overreacted a little bit. A nice bath will calm her nerves and give Frank the time he needs to finish whatever he has to do in Gaffney.   
“And I promise you, the people of South Carolina, that your voice is heard and represented all the way from Washington, D.C. Thank you for coming out and showing your support.”   
Frank gives a few obligatory waves and handshakes and then bolts off the stage, reaching into his pocket for his blackberry to dial his wife.   
Claire is nestled inside the bathtub when she hears her phone ring. She picks it up, her finger swiping over the answer button.   
“Hey, you called, is everything okay?”  
Claire isn’t able to get a word out before her stomach knots up. A painful grunt slips out of her lips, setting Frank on edge. Claire presses her phone against her forehead as she rides out the latest contraction.  
“I’m coming home. Have Meechum take you to the hospital and I will be there as soon as I can. Claire, sweetheart, can you hear me?”   
“Y…yes…I can hear you, I’ll see you there.” Claire hangs up the phone and rubs her face with her hands.   
Two hours later, Claire is resting in a room in the labor and delivery wing. Meechum is standing guard outside, making sure anyone trying to get into Claire’s room has a legitimate reason for being there.   
Claire’s eyes are half-shut, her body feels fatigued from battling the stream of contractions that have hit her the past few days. She winces and shifts as another contraction rolls through her. A part of her wonders how much longer until Frank gets to the hospital so she doesn’t have to be alone.   
Frank stops at the hospital gift shop to pick up some flowers for Claire, an apology of sorts for going away so close to her due date. He hasn’t been the most present husband through her pregnancy, but he always assumed that if Claire truly needed something from him, she would have asked.   
He rushes upstairs, getting instructions from the nurse on where to find Claire. Frank shakes Meechum’s hand and enters the room, catching Claire by surprise.   
“Hey,” Frank whispers as he shrugs off his blazer and sets the flowers down on the tray table.   
“Hey,” Claire responds back and inhales sharply. Frank flinches and reaches over, twining their fingers together with one hand as he rubs her shoulder with the other. He isn’t used to this Claire; the one who is not in control of her own body or emotions.   
Several hours pass before Claire is ready to start pushing. She is exhausted, but refuses to let anyone see how close she is to unravelling. Frank has stunned her with his patience and support, constantly rubbing her back and holding her hand as she pushes through each contraction.   
“Okay, Mrs. Underwood, it’s time. Mr. Underwood, I need you to either steer clear of your wife or hold her hand silently.” The doctor warns the couple. Frank laughs and threads his fingers through Claire’s. “Alright, the next contraction, I want you to push.”  
Claire nods and makes eye contact with Frank, who gives her a nod. She bares down and forces her fatigued muscles to push harder.   
About a half an hour later, Claire collapses against the pillows, shaking her head after another contraction ravages her body. Both Frank and the doctor stop and look to Claire to see what they should do. Claire avoids eye contact with her husband and physician, she needs a second to regain her strength. Wordlessly, she gives both of the men a nod and grabs Frank’s hand so he can help her sit up again.   
“Okay, you are in the final stretch; same routine as before.” The doctor instructs Claire.   
Moments later, Claire is told to stop pushing so the doctor can maneuver the baby out safely.   
“It’s a girl,” The doctor announces and holds the crying baby up so Frank and Claire can see.   
Claire smiles in pure elation and feels tears roll down her cheeks that she quickly wipes away. Frank kisses her cheek and goes over to cut the umbilical cord.   
“Mrs. Underwood, are you ready?” Meechum yells from the other side of the door.   
Claire stands up and sets the photo down. She brushes past Meechum and back to the living room, where Ashleigh is waiting. Claire glances at her phone, seeing a missed call from Frank. She tucks the phone back into her pocket and gets comfortable in the chair adjacent from Ashleigh.  
“It looks like we are almost out of time here, but I just wanted to ask you a few more questions, is that okay?” Ashleigh asks gently, feeling somewhat remorseful for pushing Claire to the brink of tears on live television. She knows that there is going to be hell to pay after this interview, but she doesn’t care. What Ashleigh has extracted from the second lady is more than anyone else has since Frank first took office in Gaffney. If this is her last interview, then at least she can leave knowing that she did her job well.   
“Sure, that would be fine,” Claire responds, her voice just above a whisper.   
Frank turns up the volume just as the Hazmat team knocks on the door. Both Donald and Frank are too enthralled by the interview to answer.  
“You guys have been given the all clear,” The Hazmat guy tells the gentlemen and then leaves the room.   
Frank and Donald remain seated, wanting to watch the conclusion of this powerful interview.   
“Mrs. Underwood, was your husband present during the birth of your child?”   
“Yes he was, he flew back to Washington just as he had promised before he left.”   
“That’s good to hear.” Ashleigh pauses to reshuffle her interview notes before continuing. “Claire, what happened to Peter Russo?”   
Claire does her best to remain calm and not let her face convey the utter shock she is feeling at this moment. To accuse someone of murder in a roundabout way on television, especially someone as high up as she is, is unacceptable.   
Frank clenches his fist and resists the urge to yell at the television. He owes Claire so much for surviving this interview by herself and promises that there will be consequences for Ashleigh and her network for this.  
“What do you mean?” Claire asks.  
“Well, his death was ruled a suicide, but I have it on good authority that your husband was seen with him in the days leading up to his death.”  
Ashleigh chooses her words very carefully, not wanting to outright ask Claire if her husband had anything to do with Russo’s death.   
“Peter was at our house all the time during his campaign for governor. His headquarters was in our basement. We were very close with him and his family. I know that Peter had alcohol and substance issues, but my husband and I did our best to help him stay sober.”   
“Of course…” Claire can tell that Ashleigh is about to push back with whatever information she claims to have, so she decides to interrupt her.   
“We were devastated when he heard of Peter’s death, everyone was, including our daughter. She had become quite close with him and his children.”  
Claire doesn’t even feel bad about lying to Ashleigh this time. Emily only met Peter once and that was purely on accident.   
Frank and Claire arrive back from the Clean Water Initiative Gala to find someone sitting on their doorstep. Meechum warns them to stay in the car, but Frank gets out, insisting that he knows who it is. Claire follows closely behind Frank, not knowing exactly who this person is. She has become more careful about who they let in their home ever since Emily was born. Claire doesn’t want just anyone poking around, taking pictures of their daughter to sell to the press.  
“Francis?” Claire asks softly and gestures to the man sitting on their stoop.  
“Claire, this is Peter Russo. Peter, come in,” Frank says after he realizes how intoxicated this man is. Claire is wary of Peter, but trusts that her husband knows what he is doing.  
The three of them enter the townhouse. Claire bypasses the two men to relieve the nanny, wanting to see her daughter before she goes to bed. She can hear Peter and Frank talking downstairs and goes to join them after kissing Emily goodnight.   
“I’m starving, I forgot to eat. Do you want something Peter?” Claire asks, hoping that this man will eat and then leave so she and Frank can go to bed.   
“No, I’m fine.”  
“Don’t fight me, I’ll win.”   
“Yes, she will,” Frank chimes in. He wants Peter to leave as much as Claire does. He doesn’t want Peter here while he is drunk in case Emily wakes up.  
“Coffee, black,” Peter relents.  
“Are you married, Peter?” Claire asks while Frank prepares the coffee.   
“Divorced.”  
“Do you have any kids?  
“Two. Sarah is…nine and…Kevin is seven.”   
“Do you have any pictures of them?”   
Peter pats his pockets and notices that his phone is missing.   
“FUCK!” Peter yells, catching both Frank and Claire off guard.   
They can hear Emily cry upstairs and Claire nervously glances at Frank. Peter furrows his eyebrows, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound.   
“I’ll get her,” Claire says and heads upstairs to her daughter’s room.   
“You have a child, Frank?” Peter asks with disbelief.   
“Yes, and you are not to tell anyone about her. Claire and I want to keep her away from the media,” Frank says in a no-nonsense tone. He is extremely protective of Emily and doesn’t want anyone to exploit her for political gain.   
Claire lifts Emily out of her crib and holds her close, trying to calm her down to no avail.   
“No, shh…” Claire whispers and bounces Emily on her hip.  
“Daddy,” Emily tearfully insists.   
Claire sighs, knowing that her daughter inherited her stubbornness from both her and Frank. Emily is not going to go back to sleep until she sees her father. Claire readjusts Emily in her arms and walks downstairs, back into the kitchen.  
“She wanted to see you,” Claire offers as an explanation. Frank smiles and accepts Emily. Peter stands back, thinking that he is hallucinating. He doesn’t know Claire that well, but she doesn’t seem to be the maternal type to him.   
“Daddy!” Emily exclaims, patting Frank on the cheek. Emily turns her head, noticing that there is someone else in the room besides her parents. She tucks her head into Frank’s shoulder, not wanting Peter to see her. Peter smiles at the child’s shyness.  
“I’m going to put her back to bed,” Frank whispers to Claire. Claire nods and kisses both Frank and Emily on the cheek. Peter remains rooted to his spot, not knowing what he should do. Claire goes back to making her sandwich, acting like nothing happened.   
“How old is she?” Peter asks.   
“A year and a half,” Claire says and hands Peter half her sandwich.  
“That’s funny, Frank never mentioned that he has a daughter.”   
“He’s very protective of her. He doesn’t want anyone to know in case they use it against him,” Claire says, partly as a warning to Peter to be very careful now that he knows about Emily. Peter nods in understanding and graciously accepts a sandwich from Claire.   
Claire takes a deep breath and tries to remain neutral. She doesn’t want to think about what her husband did to Peter and his children. Claire had nightmares about it for weeks after they found Peter in that garage. With Ashleigh bringing up Peter’s death, it brings back all of those memories she is trying to forget.   
Ashleigh drops the Peter Russo line of questioning. She knows that there were a lot of questions raised following Peter’s death, but pestering Claire about it will only lead to more fallout. The best thing she can do now is refocus the interview onto Claire’s life.   
“One more question, do you see yourself having more kids in the future?”   
Claire’s eyes widen ever-so-slightly. This question, along with the majority of questions Ashleigh has been asking was not on the approved list. However, no matter how far the journalist has veered off topic, it’s Claire’s responsibility to answer the questions as they come. Compared to the other questions Ashleigh has asked her today, this one is relatively easy to answer. In fact, her and Frank had a conversation about having another baby just last week.  
It was Claire’s turn to put Emily to bed since Frank did it the night before. This routine has been established since Emily was born, giving each parent time to spend with the toddler alone. Claire has just finished changing Emily’s diaper and is transferring her from the changing table to the crib while the toddler babbles to herself.   
“Mama?” Emily suddenly asks.   
“Hmm…?” Claire says distractedly as she checks to make sure Emily’s favorite stuffed animal is in the crib so she can avoid a tantrum.  
“Baby,” Emily says and points to Claire. Claire furrows her eyebrows and gently sets Emily down in her crib.   
“Baby?” Claire asks, wondering if Emily is attempting to ask her something or if the toddler is nonsensically babbling.   
“You, daddy, baby,” Emily says and grins at Claire, her cherubic face emanating pure innocence.   
“Yes, you are our baby,” Claire says, bending down to stamp a kiss to her daughter’s head. Emily shakes her head, starting to get frustrated with her mother for not comprehending what she is trying to communicate.  
“No, more, baby,” Emily says and points to Claire again. Claire stills when it becomes clear to her what Emily is asking.   
“You want daddy and me to have another baby?” Claire asks, hoping that she is wrong.   
“Yeah,” Emily says and claps her hands. Oh shit. Claire thinks to herself. She had a feeling this conversation would come up eventually, she was just hoping that Emily would be a lot older when it did. Although, Emily is only two, so it will be easy to steer her away from wanting a sibling. It’s rare for Claire to be rendered speechless, but she has no idea what the appropriate response is. She knows that she doesn’t want another child and can only imagine since Frank never brought it up since Emily’s been born that he doesn’t either.  
“I don’t think so Emily, I think you are the only baby we are going to have.” Claire has always been an honest parent with her daughter from the beginning and that isn’t going to change. She doesn’t want to give her daughter false hope.  
Emily juts her lower lip out, but doesn’t cry. Claire scrutinizes her daughter, waiting to see if she needs to be comforted. However, Emily merely accepts it and allows her mother to tuck her in and kiss her goodnight.   
Claire softly closes the door behind her and leans against the doorframe, feeling guilty about the conversation she just had with Emily. She doesn’t want to deny her daughter anything, but another sibling is just something Claire won’t give her.   
When she opens the door to the master bedroom, Frank is typing on his laptop, with random files spread out on the comforter. Claire shuts herself in the bathroom, debating whether to even speak with Frank about this. When she is all ready for bed, she comes out, stopping for a minute to watch Frank work.  
“Can I at least turn off the overhead?” Claire asks.   
“Of course. Do you want me to work downstairs?”   
“No, just make some room.” Claire walks over to her side of the bed while Frank tosses files aside aimlessly. Claire has her back to him, rubbing some moisturizer on her hands.   
“Is something wrong?” Frank asks, knowing his wife well enough to ask when something is bothering her.   
“Emily just asked me if we could have another child.” Claire swings her legs onto the bed while Frank processes what she just said.   
“You didn’t…”   
“No, I told her that it wasn’t possible.” Claire can actually see the tension leave Frank’s body. She had a feeling that he would be completely against it and to be honest, she is too. They don’t have the time to raise another child, especially one they don’t want. Emily was unexpected, but she will always be enough for them.   
“You don’t want…?”  
“No. I’m satisfied with what we have. Aren’t you?”  
“Yes. Should I talk to her?”  
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Frank and Claire exchange grins, proud of themselves for getting through the latest parenting crisis.   
“No, I don’t.” Claire says simply, choosing not to elaborate.   
“Can I ask why?”   
“I think one is enough for us and given my past miscarriages, I don’t think it’s even possible to for me get pregnant again.” Claire wants to shift the blame onto the lie she told earlier rather than emphasize the fact she truly doesn’t want any more children. She thinks it’s unfair for people to assume that her life isn’t complete unless she has more than one child, but it wouldn’t be wise of her to vocalize that.   
Claire is proud of herself for getting through this interview relatively unscathed. Even though she has had to lie several times to protect herself and Frank, she feels it is the right thing to do.   
“As we wrap up this interview, what do you want the American people to know about you and your family?”  
“I think it’s important to realize that my husband and I are like every married couple out there, regardless of our profession. We fight, just like married couples do from time to time, but we love each other and our daughter very much.”  
“And that concludes our interview with Second Lady Claire Underwood. For more information, follow us on Twitter or Facebook, and check out our website. From all of us here at CNN, we wish you a wonderful rest of your day. Goodbye.”   
“We’re out!” A cameraman exclaims and the crew starts disassembling all of the equipment. Ashleigh and Claire are still seated, staring at each other.   
“I apologize for all the questions I had to ask you, but I hope you understand that I’m just doing my job.” Ashleigh says and offers a hand for Claire to shake.  
“I do, thank you for coming,” Claire mutters and shakes the reporters hand. It wouldn’t do Claire any good to make Ashleigh Banfield an enemy, she might need to use the journalist in the future.   
“I have to go home to see my wife,” Frank says as he turns the TV off. He gathers his suitcase and blazer up and heads towards the door.  
“That took a lot of guts Frank,” Donald says.  
“Yes it did.” Frank agrees and shuts the door behind him.  
Claire waits for everyone, including Connor, to leave before she calls the nanny, informing her that she will be by to pick up Emily momentarily. Frank texted her that he is on his way home, but Claire didn’t answer back. She needs a few moments to calm down before she can face her husband. He left her out to dry today and that is unacceptable to her. They should have canceled the interview like she suggested because now they look like adulterous murderers who only had a baby to save themselves. She can only imagine how the press is going to spin this in the days to come.   
Claire arrives at the nanny’s twenty minutes later, eager to see her daughter.   
“Mama,” Emily exclaims when she sees Claire. Claire bends down to pick her daughter up, breathing in the familiar scent of the two-year-old. The toddler buries her head into Claire’s shoulder while she converses with the nanny.  
“Come on, let’s go home,” Claire whispers to her two-year-old.  
“Daddy?” Emily asks, like she always does when Claire picks her up.  
“Daddy will be home soon.” Claire sweeps a brunette strand away from her daughter’s shiny azure eyes, a reflection of her own.  
When they arrive back at the townhouse, Frank is waiting with a guilty expression on his face. Claire ignores him and drops Emily on the floor, watching her run over to her father.  
“Hey,” Frank says and lifts the little girl into the air. Emily giggles as she keeps requesting more. Claire cracks a grin at the sight, but reminds herself to stay angry at her husband. Frank holds onto Emily as he makes his way over to Claire.   
He won’t apologize because she won’t want him to. My husband doesn’t apologize, even to me, Claire said to him once after he came home finally after avoiding her calls for nine hours.   
“When I say we should cancel an interview, we should cancel an interview.” Claire says and brushes past him to go upstairs, needing to change out of her clothes. Frank is left standing there, holding Emily and wondering what the right move is.  
“Mamma mad?” Emily asks, her bright blue eyes widening with fear. It takes Frank a second to realize that this is the first time he and Claire have argued in front of her, so she doesn’t know how to react.   
“It’s okay Em, I’ll fix it.”   
Frank sets Emily down and heads upstairs to their bedroom, wanting to patch things up with Claire as quickly as possible. He sits on their bed and waits for his wife to be done in the bathroom. Frank can hear Emily start to come upstairs and wonders if he should shut the door. Claire comes out of the bathroom just as Emily appears in their bedroom.  
“Claire…”  
“You put us in a compromising position by having me do that interview.”  
“I know.”  
“We could have been exposed, Francis.”  
“I know.”   
Frank reaches out to put a hand on Claire’s cheek, but she recoils. Emily preoccupies herself by trying to hoist herself onto the bed, not understanding that she is interrupting a very tense moment with her parents.   
“Thank you for what you did for us today.” Frank says sincerely after a few moments of silence. Claire nods, she is glad that he isn’t apologizing to her because it won’t do any good.  
“We should go out in public together, the three of us, in the next few days. Have Emily be photographed with us.” Claire suggests and watches Emily climb into her lap. “I still think of Peter.”  
Frank turns to face her and lightly pinches her cheek. He remembers coming home after she had that nightmare about Peter’s kids, how devastated she was. How devastated they both were.  
The weeks following Peter’s death put a strain on Frank and Claire. They have been doing their best to move forward like nothing ever happened for their daughter, but both of them are struggling with what Frank did. One particular night, Claire rolls over to splash her hand over Frank’s chest when she realizes nothing is there but the pillow. Her eyes flicker open and she glances around the room, wondering where her husband could be. Claire cranes her neck to see if any lights are on in the bathroom or closet, but it’s dark.   
She slides out of bed and scoops up her robe, throwing it over her shoulders as she exits their bedroom. She checks the living room, the basement and his study, but can’t find her husband. Finally, she cracks open Emily’s door and sees him standing over their daughter’s crib, watching her sleep. She has noticed that whenever something is bothering Frank, she can usually find him in Emily’s room. She never asks why, but she thinks it has something to do with him feeling better by being in their daughter’s company. Claire closes the door softly behind her and approaches her husband, gliding her hand up his back.  
“Hi,” Frank whispers softly, his eyes still transfixed on Emily.   
“Hi.” Claire hopes that they don’t wake up their daughter by being in her room, it will take forever to get her to go back to sleep.   
“She looks like you when you sleep, the way she tucks her arm under her ear.” Frank says offhandedly. Claire smiles softly and reaches down to clasp his hand, tugging him away from their sleeping daughter.  
“Do you want to have a cigarette?” Claire offers, thinking that he just needs something to relax him before they try to sleep again. Frank shakes his head, but follows him out of Emily’s room. They don’t say anything to each other until they tucked under the covers in their bedroom. Frank holds his arm out for her and Claire fills the gap between them. He absentmindedly skims his fingertips on her shoulder.  
“You did what you thought was best,” Claire mumbles. Even if they have to live with what Frank did to Peter, she firmly believes it was the only way he could do to ensure the vice presidency.  
“I know,” Frank dusts a kiss to her temple, a silent thank you for telling him what he needed to hear. He was concerned she was starting to have doubts after her nightmare. It’s comforting to know that she hasn’t left his side.  
“We did the right thing.”   
“I know…with Ashleigh bringing it up in the interview…I just…”  
“Me too.” Frank says without Claire even having to finish her sentence.   
“Sing us something,” Claire says quietly.  
“What do you want to hear?”   
“Anything.”   
Frank starts singing “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast, one of Emily’s favorites. Claire sits there quietly, listening to her husband and watching their daughter attempt to sing along. They can deal with the inevitable fallout from the interview tomorrow.   
A/N: That’s the end! I wanted to start and end the story relatively close to the episode that this is based on. I’m not sure if you guys want me to continue this or not in another story, but you could let me know by leaving me a review. Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
